


Danganronpa: Despair Daze

by LessFeralKiyondo



Category: Danganronpa, Original Work
Genre: A bunch of character studies wrapped up in a trenchcoat trying to sell you a novel, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Angst, Attempted Murder, Canon Non-Binary Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Danganronpa AU, Despair Disease (Dangan Ronpa), Do not repost, F/F, F/M, Framing, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I’m a Psychology major so you know what that means!!, Just toned-down a bit, LGBTQ Themes, LGBTQ+ characters, Lawyers, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery Character(s), Please don't expect a consistent update schedule, Protective Siblings, Rosie Foster as Trixie Foster, Sibling Love, Survival Horror, This is pretty much a study of the five stages of grief disguised as a Danganronpa fanfic, You'll need tissues (if I do it right), but also!!, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25946824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessFeralKiyondo/pseuds/LessFeralKiyondo
Summary: Bright fluorescent light pressed harshly against my eyelids, forcing me to slowly lift them to take in the room before me.When did I get here?I was seated on an admittedly unstable wooden chair in a classroom that looked as if it had held no classes for years. As my eyes flickered over the rest of the room, I noticed that I was the only one there, and after a bit more sluggish investigation, the security camera installed in the front left corner of the room, above the door, made its presence known to me.My head started to pound as I stood and remembered where I should be; Hope's Peak.
Relationships: Adam Alistair & Luminous Light, Aina Orshewitz & Adam Alistair, Aina Orshewitz & Adam Alistair & Luminous Light, Aina Orshewitz & Layla Sorth, Aina Orshewitz & Luminous Light, Aina Orshewitz/Adam Alistair, Kojika Ari & Nakai Ari, Lanna Layette & Simon Benes, Layla Sorth & Hanako Muroseichi, Luminous Light & Lanna Layette, Oliver Benes & Kojika Ari, Oliver Benes & Nakai Ari, Simon Benes & Kojika Ari, Simon Benes & Nakai Ari, Simon Benes & Nakai Ari & Oliver Benes & Kojika Ari, Simon Benes & Oliver Benes, Simon Benes/Miku Cullen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue: Welcome to Hope's Peak! (Pt. 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little aside before you start reading - some of these OCs are not mine! Luminous Light, Lanna Layette, and Miku Cullen belong to Slayerz1266, Hanako Muroseichi and Adam Alistair belong to WeeabooTrash0_0, and Rosie Foster and Scarlet Envitea belong to Animegeek101! 
> 
> I love you guys so much and I hope this story lives up to your expectations!

Bright fluorescent light pressed against my eyelids, almost forcing me to slowly lift them to take in the room before me.

When did I get here?

I was seated on an admittedly unstable wooden chair in a classroom that looked as if it had held no classes for years. As my eyes flickered over the rest of the room, I noticed I was the only one there, and after a bit more sluggish investigation, the security camera installed in the front left corner of the room, above the door, made its presence known to me. 

My head started to pound as I stood and remembered where I should be. 

The last thing I remember was standing in front of Hope’s Peak Academy, the most prestigious school I could think of, my belongings at my side, all stuffed into an old black suitcase. Hope’s Peak hand-picks a class of the most talented high-schoolers from around the world, and by some giant stroke of luck, I and my siblings had been chosen for this year’s class.

Speaking of which, where were they?

My feet stumbled toward the door, still slightly uncoordinated - I must have been passed out for a while - but before I could bring my hand to the door it swung open into the hallway, revealing my adoptive sibling, Kojika Ari, the Ultimate Detective. They had their straight black hair tied into their usual bun and had on the same clothes as I remember them wearing - a white long-sleeved lace shirt with a knee-length black skirt and black flats. They were always a firm believer in first impressions, so of course, their first day at Hope’s Peak would not be exempt.

“Hey, Koko!” I grinned.

They smiled in return and moved out of the way of the doorway so I could walk out to meet them. “Hey, Ollie. I won’t beat around the bush with this one, do you know what’s going on with the whole, ‘waking up alone in a classroom’ thing?” 

I shook my head, feeling strands of my slightly overgrown hair hit my cheekbones. I had fluffy black hair that normally sat in an out-of-control pixie cut. I might have to get it cut soon, actually. “I have no idea.”

They hummed in thought and lifted their hand to hold their chin. They stayed like that for a few seconds before I spoke up again. “Wait...Weren’t we supposed to be at a welcome ceremony in the Main Hall?”

Their eyes widen as my words hit them like a textbook to the head. “We absolutely were!” I felt her hands hastily wrap around mine and before I could open my mouth to object, she was dragging me through the quite oddly color-coded hallways towards the Main Hall. As we ran, I took note of the windows - or what I assumed to be windows - that were covered with thick metal plates, fastened to the walls with comically large bolts.

There wasn’t much time for me to dwell on this, however, as I could soon make out the faces of twelve other students, including my adoptive sister, Nakai Ari, and my brother-by-blood, Simon Benes. 

Kojika practically skidded to a stop in front of them, interrupting their conversation and pulling their heads to look at us. Nakai immediately pulled her face into a soft smile when she was made aware we were there, but I doubt she had actually realized who we were until Simon waved to us, his iconic stoic expression still plastered on his face. 

“Hey, you two. I assume you found each other the same way we did?” Nakai inquired.

“Well,” Kojika responds, dropping my hand to fold their arms over their chest, “that depends.” 

“I woke up with a huge headache - which I still have - in a quite atrocious-looking classroom, then when I started to wander around the halls, I found Nakai stumbling out of a classroom herself,” Simon says, shoving a hand in the pocket of his trenchcoat and turning his feet towards Kojika and me. 

While the Ari sisters were very adamant about getting Simon and me to dress up today (“you can always bring clothes to change into after the welcoming ceremony, you know,” they said), we just stuck with our usual outfits. Simon went for practicality in his wardrobe rather than trying to follow any fashion trends, making his simple grey trench coat, white gloves, black jeans, and sneakers look very dull compared to some of the more out-there outfits. Just out of the corner of my eye, I could see an olive-skinned woman sporting a very out-of-place casual steampunk outfit, which somehow featured a few different floral patterns throughout the ensemble. As for myself, I just went with my usual oversized sweater, khakis, and worn-out sneakers, along with a messenger bag filled with various psychology books and papers - you never know when you’ll need to pull one out. 

“That’s strange,” Kojika states, forcibly pulling me out of my thoughts, “We must have been drugged, or something to that effect. But we just got here, why would someone need to drug us?”

“I’m not sure. But maybe we should check with everyone else and see if they were drugged too?” I ask.

As my siblings nod, I turn to the rest of the students and clear my throat. “Excuse me!”

Everyone turns to peer at me, and the sudden silence of the room throws me off guard. “Hi everyone! My name is Oliver Benes, I’m the Ultimate Therapist. As much as I’d like to get to know everyone personally as soon as I can, I’d like to ask you all a question.” Everyone’s expressions morph from neutral to quizzical, which I take as their consent to continue. “My siblings and I were talking, and it seems as though we were drugged somehow and taken to a classroom somewhere in this building, and woke up in said classroom with a headache. The last thing I remember is coming into the school with my siblings. Did anyone else experience this as well?”

The majority nod, looking around with shocked or confused looks as they see everyone else copy their motions. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Nakai and Kojika look at each other worriedly.

“Well, since we’re all classmates this year, how about we go around and say our names and titles?” I cringe at the softer ‘therapist voice’ - coined by Kojika and Simon - I had let slip. 

The first to step up was a woman with dark brown hair and skin, which was lightly dotted with vitiligo. She wore a white tank top and large black cargo pants, tied together with a red flannel tied around her waist. "Guess I'm going first! My name is Aina Orshewitz, and I’m the Ultimate Robotics Engineer. If you ever need some gadgets, come to me!” She grinned and pointed to herself with her thumb.

Next to her was a man with side-shaved blue hair clad in a lab coat that partially covered his black hoodie and ripped jeans. He raised his right hand in a lazy wave and said, “Adam Alistair, Ultimate Biologist.”

On Aina’s left side was the girl with the steampunk outfit, and I now notice her split black and pink hair that was tied up into two pigtails. “Uhm, my name i-is Rosie Foster, I’m th-the Ultimate G-gardener.”

We went on with introductions for longer than I thought we would. There was Layla Sorth, the Ultimate Lucky Student, who was probably the most normal-looking out of our group. She had short blonde hair and sported a plain lavender jacket, a white shirt, and grey running shorts. Next was Luminous Light, the Ultimate Physicist, who was dressed almost the opposite of Simon; it was clear she valued comfort over practicality, shown by her simple baggy black turtleneck and red flannel pajama pants **.**

Lanna Layette, the Ultimate Ornithologist, wore a long sleeve t-shirt under a muted green gardening apron with dark blue denim jeans and black rain boots. The most notable thing about her person was the small bluebird sat comfortably on her shoulder. 

Then Scarlet Envitea, the Ultimate Masquerade Dancer, wore a basic black and white Victorian dress with golden accents and had a section of her black hair tied into a braid crown around her head, and two dyed red strands of hair hung down to frame her face. Hanako Muroseichi, the Ultimate Violinist, seemed to be ready to perform at any moment. Her dreadlocks were styled into a high bun with a few strands left out, and hanging from her shoulders was a formal maroon dress that hung down past her feet and slightly folded at the floor - it must be too big for her. 

Ivy Brooks wore a black sleeveless cardigan - with the hood up) and a white undershirt along with ripped jeans and a pair of clunky boots, a relatively camouflaged outfit that was fitting of the Ultimate Con Artist, and Miku Cullen, the Ultimate Romance Novelist, dressed as if he was the Ultimate K-Pop Star. He had the signature blue fluffy hair and flawless skin of many idols along with a casual outfit almost on par with mine - a loose print t-shirt, ripped jeans and worn red Converse.

The last to introduce themselves was Nakai, who had dressed up in one of her favorite outfits and had, just a week ago, dyed the ends of her short black hair pink. Although now that I look at her, her hair dye seems sloppy and almost faded, unlike the strong pink I remember her walking into Hope’s Peak with. The outfit in question featured a light grey blazer, with almost transparent blue and white lines making a checkered pattern, accompanied by a white button-up shirt underneath, black dress pants, and high heels.

“Well, what do we do now?” Lanna says, breaking the few minutes of silence that had fallen over us.

Almost as if to answer her question, a small screen on the wall next to her came to life, displaying a black-and-white cartoon bear. Perhaps the school mascot? “Upupupu! Good morning, students! Please head to the gym for the Hope’s Peak welcoming ceremony! I’ll see you soon!”

“Finally! I was wondering how long we would have to sit here before class!” Miku blurted immediately afterward, raising his hands above his head in a measly stretch before trotting off to the gym. 

I look over at Simon and give him a worried look, silently communicating with him my uneasy feelings about this ceremony. After just getting drugged, I felt it was well within my right to be apprehensive. He sends one right back before Nakai and Kojika waking ahead startled us out of our worry.


	2. Prologue: Welcome to Hope’s Peak! (Pt. 2)

Once there, all of us spread out into what I assumed were unconsciously-formed cliques, but were dead silent. Of course, my siblings and I were together, Aina was with Adam, Layla, Hanako, Luminous and Lana, and Miku, Scarlet, Ivy, and Rosie stood by themselves.

Suddenly, the same bear from the announcement sprang out from behind the podium on stage. “Greetings, Hope’s Peak students! I am your headmaster, Mr. Monokuma, but just call me Monokuma! Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now, ah, make no mistake--you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope......you will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school.” Monokuma’s carefree attitude coated his words like honey, but threw all of us slightly off-guard.

“Hmm, a teddy-bear, huh? Interesting design…” I hear Aina think aloud. She steps towards Monokuma and examines him silently. After a few seconds she stands up straight and declares, “you’re not a very complicated piece of machinery, are you?”

Layla startles at this statement and holds out her arms towards Aina in panic. “Don’t say that! What if the real headmaster sends you to detention on the first day?”

Monokuma retracts in offense, which seems odd to me. Why is he offended by Layla’s statement but not Aina’s?

“I _am_ the real headmaster, thank you very much! And you, missy,” He pivots on his feet to point at Aina. “are very disrespectful! How dare you reduce me to a child’s plaything! Not even the folks at _NASA_ could recreate - or even comprehend me!”

Aina snickers. “You are though! You’ve been stuffed with animatronic hydraulics and a speaker, there’s most likely someone on the premises with a microphone speaking into you. It’s not that ha-” Layla covers Aina’s mouth with a loud slap of her hand and turns her head to Monokuma.

“I’m so s-sorry! Sometimes she g-gets a bit carried away!” She laughs nervously. 

“Hmph!” Monokuma crosses his arms and averts his eyes from the two girls. “ I oughta _kill you both_ for those statements! But I like your gusto, so I’ll let it slide, just this once! But Anyway!” He says, automatically perking up and turning to the rest of us again. “Regarding the end date for this communal life...There isn't one! In other words, you'll all be here until _the day you die!_ Such is the school life you've been assigned.”

Monokuma’s words didn’t process right away. Perhaps my body didn’t _want_ his words. Perhaps my brain somehow wanted to keep me in the heaven that is ignorance as long as it could before I had to face my reality. But no matter how hard my subconscious tried to postpone it, the panic that eventually seeped into the group was undoubtedly real.

“I-I’m sorry, did I hear you w-wrong?” Hanako says, wringing her hands rather hard. “W-we have to stay _here?_ F-f-forever?”

“Yep! Forever and ever until you keel over and die!” Monokuma’s cheery demeanor now made my blood run cold. I clumsily grasp at the air beside my hip for Kojika’s hand, and quickly find it. Kojika squeezes hard but doesn’t look at me, their eyes trained on the bear in the front of the room as if they could make him disappear if they glared hard enough.

“There has to be some way to get out.” I look around Kojika to see Nakai with her hand tightly wrapped around Simon’s, mirroring Kojika and I. “There’s no way our families or the police won’t notice we’re missing.”

“Upupupupu...You’ve been completely cut off from the rest of the world! For all they know, you’re staying overnight at your fabulous new high school!” Monokuma throws his hands - paws? - into the air, gesturing to the building that now imprisoned us. “But~” my breath hitches, “there is one way to get out! I call it the Graduation Clause! Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the Graduation Clause!”

“What exactly counts as ‘disrupting the harmony’?” Ivy says, her face deadpanned. She seemed unnaturally calm, as if she had been through this speech hundreds of times. 

“Puhuhu... Well, you know... If one person were to _murder_ another...That would certainly disrupt our communal life, now wouldn’t it!”

If I thought Monokuma’s earlier words were bad, this was a hell of a lot worse. A shiver ran up my spine, and the pressure on my right hand worsened as Kojika finally looked at me, pure terror laying in their emerald eyes. 

“M-m-murder!?” Hanako shouts.

“Yep! Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter. You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that.”

“B-but, that’s wrong! You can’t just kidnap us then expect us to k-kill each other!” Rosie screeches. 

“Actually, I can! I just have, haven’t I?”

“You _fucker_!” Adam spits. “I don’t know what kind of joke you’re trying to pull, but this shit isn’t funny anymore, so knock off the act!” He stomps towards Monokuma, but is forcefully pulled back by Luminous. 

“Oh, this is no joke! As much as you’d like to tell yourselves that, you are stuck here for the rest of your measly little lives, and there’s nothing you can do about it! Other than kill, of course! Now then, lastly... To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…” Monokuma pulls a box of tablets from behind the podium and starts walking around to hand them out. As he passes by me, I reluctantly remove my grip on Kojika’s hand and shakily take the tablet.

“This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it's fully digital. So naturally, we call it... The e-Handbook! This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don't lose it! When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it's completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, it'll keep on ticking! And thanks to its space-age design, it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations, so make sure you review them thoroughly! You'll hear me say this a lot, but any violation of school regulations will not be tolerated. Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here! Which is why it's crucial we have strict punishments in place for violators. Okay, well...that brings our entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life! And...see ya!”

And with that he disappeared behind the curtains, leaving us to let his words sink in.

He really wants us to kill...How long will it be before I die? Before Nakai, Kojika, or Simon dies? Before someone must have their most precious gift taken away by the hubris of another?

Miku laughs nervously. “I-I’m sorry, what the _heck_ just happened?

“...Well, it’ll help if we review the information.” Nakai asserts, stepping forward from beside Simon. I notice that Miku seems a lot closer to my brother than when we first got in here. “Of course, the most obvious thing is the fact that we are to live here until we...we die.” She hesitates on the last word and turns to me with concern plainly painted across her features. I try to smile at her. Although it wasn’t one of my usual bright, face-splitting grins, it seems to comfort her regardless. 

“And, if we go crazy enough, we can kill to get out.”

“This is bullshit! Rosie yells, stomping her clunky combat boots against the waxy ground beneath her. “Who the hell thought it was a good idea to lock us all up in here!” She seems wildly different from when she introduced herself earlier, perhaps the new revelation is making her reveal her true colors.

“As much as I do agree with you, what we really need to know, is who is already planning to kill?” Scarlet says, crossing her arms. We all look around, everyone’s eyes laced with suspicion and worry for their own safety.

As these events pan out around me, I realize, this is not just a game. 

_This is the rest of our lives._


	3. Foxgloves, Yellow Carnations, and Cypress (Pt. 1)

“Hold on,” Nakai blurts, crossing her arms over her chest. “Before we start causing a panic, we should establish some sort of schedule to keep us in line.” She waits for a few nods, then continues. “I believe we should have morning and afternoon meetings, so we can aptly keep track of who is alive and who might be plotting. These meetings will be at...10 in the morning, and 5 at night, that way we can eat in the cafeteria while conversing.”

“Good idea,” Kojika says. They step forward and I feel their hand disappear, leaving the ghost of warmth in its place. 

“...Aina, what are you doing?” Luminous asks, drawing my attention to where her gaze was fixated across the gym.

The woman in question was bent over a small cardboard box (that I could bet my house wasn’t there before). I tentatively take a few steps forward and lean to see around her. 

“I’m investigating!” After fishing around in the sea of sharp metal the box contained, she hoists up a key ring donning a silver key and a leather tag with her name. It was smeared with grease and oil, which seemed to be a theme for her. “It’s our dorm keys!” 

I reach forward and pull out a random one. It appeared to be Ivy’s. The nametag was decorated with a few different flowers, but it was mostly hydrangea and vines that framed her first name. A pale hand swiftly snatched the key before I could examine anything else about it. I turned to see Ivy with the key now tightly gripped in her fist. 

“Oh, my apologies, Ivy. I didn’t know you liked flowers! Can I assume that hydrangeas are your favorite?” I smile. 

“I don’t care. Think what you will.” 

My eyes widen slightly, but I quickly remind myself that I shouldn’t be too surprised. Everyone has a different reaction to small talk.

Simon ruffles my hair from behind and bestows a key in his free hand once I turn to him. “Here’s yours, Ollie.” The tag was simple black leather engraved with my name, but there was another key chain on the ring, an encased picture of my Keeshond puppy, Yuui. Now that I’m reminded of her, I realize I’ve already started to miss her; when would I see her again? _Would_ I see her again? 

I must be an open book because Simon places a hand on my shoulder and his eyes are soft when I look up at him again. “I feel the same...about Buttercup.” 

I have always found it funny that Simon, a man who prides himself on being tough and closed-off, chose to adopt a _bunny,_ of all things. But he loves the little cotton ball, so I really couldn’t be happier.

“Yeah. Sh…” I pause, feeling the words form a ball in the back of my throat. “Should we head to our dorms?”

He shrugs. “Why not?” I nod and turn away from where everyone had crowded around the box, scrambling for their keys, to tap Kojika and Nakai on the shoulders. “Guys, we’re going to find our dorm rooms. Do you want to meet up there or come with us?” They glance at each other, having a silent conversation that I haven’t yet been able to decode, despite my having up with them. Kojika’s face hardens - they’re afraid of what they’ll find - and they nod to the woman beside them. “Yeah, we’ll go.” 

“Alright!” We break away from our classmates and wander across the gym. 

“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Someone shouts. I turn my head just enough to see Miku standing in the middle of the gym, halfway between us and the pack of kids at the stage. Simon shifts to face him and stuffs his hands in his pockets. “We’re heading to our dorms. Since there’s nothing left to do here.”

“Oh! Do you mind if I come with you guys?” He inquires, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy.

“Uhm...sure?”

There was not much to the walk back to the dorms, except for the exuberant small talk between Simon and Miku. Miku seemed to be a very energetic and bubbly person, but it is curious to me that he chose to cling to Simon. I suppose it is the typical trope of ‘extrovert adopting the introvert.’ A small chuckle escapes my chest at the thought, and Simon peeks at me from the corner of his eye before I shake my head and return my focus to walking. 

_Right, left, right, left_ \- “Have you ever heard of Sailor Moon? You remind me so much of -” _Right, left, right, left_ \- “Do you have any pets? You seem like the kind of person-” _Right, left -_ “Oh, we’re here!” 

I look up from the tiled floor to find us standing in the entryway of a large circular lounge area, not unlike one of an expensive hotel. The middle of the room had a large, wooden table with various decorations like pencil holders, empty coffee mugs, and a wooden bowl of fruit, most likely fake. Around the lounge area were our dorms. The order seemed to go in alphabetical order in accordance with our last names, so it went Adam’s, Kojika’s, Nakai’s, mine, Simon’s, a blank one (it was missing a nameplate, so I assume it was empty), Ivy’s, Miku’s, Scarlet’s, Rosie’s, Lanna’s, Luminous’s, Hanako’s, Aina’s, and lastly, Layla’s.

As I look behind me I realize that we had passed the kitchen, a pair of bathrooms, a small storage room, and a laundry room. Miku lights up and scrambles to leap onto one of the couches to the side of the table, almost hitting his head against one of the arms. “Oh wow, this is comfy!”

Nakai smiles and fights back a snicker, at Miku’s reckless jump at first, then at Simon’s annoyed, but oddly fond, huff. With a few clicks of her heels, she strides to her dorm room. “Well, now starts our ‘school life’.” I feel a strange sensation of deja vu, but it quickly flees as Nakai opens the oakwood door, revealing a...fully furnished room? I stepped forward to take a closer look. Nakai’s room already had her k-pop posters on the wall, her dark blue rug on the floor, her law textbooks atop her desk, and the blankets and pillows she brought were already organized across her bed. 

“W-wait, we’ve never been back here, how is all of your stuff already here?” I ask, quite frankly bewildered at the sight.

I see Kojika bring their chin into their hand. “We must have set everything up before we were drugged, and the effects of the drug made us forget.” They nod as if confirming their theory in their head, and Nakai considers it as well before humming quietly in thought. “It certainly seems plausible. But perhaps this isn’t the thing to worry about right now.” 

“I agree. We need to worry about this whole ‘killing game’ thing before we try to come up with some fantastical reason as to why all of this stuff is here. Would we rather have nothing?” Simon walks over to his own door, quickly glancing at the nameplate hung on it before pushing it open. Miku hops off the couch to see Simon’s room, but I already knew it would be mostly empty since Simon has never been one for extravagant decor.

For this reason, I decided to bypass looking inside his room and instead moved to peek inside my own dorm. I sighed as I walked in and found what was probably my dream room; above the doorway and bed were strings of warm fairy lights, there was a multitude of heavy blankets that sat on the twin bed, and organized atop the surface of my white desk were notebooks, highlighters, pens, pencils, and two or three textbooks. And just like the room I woke up in, there was a baby blue security camera above the bathroom door.

“Typical Ollie, so extra.” 

I yelp in surprise at Simon’s voice and turn towards him. I try my hardest to frown, but I couldn’t help but smile at him. He sheepishly smiles back at me and cards his hands through the silver hair at the nape of his neck. 

“Ah, sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You totally did,” I pout, half-heartedly crossing my arms.

“Mm, maybe, maybe not. Anyway, I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight? I’m...not exactly _thrilled_ at the notion of sleeping alone right now.”

“Of course! You can just bring your stuff after the meeting tonight. Actually, speaking of which, what _did_ you bring?” 

“Just a blanket and a few pillows.”

I shake my head. “How did I know, Simey? How did I-”

“Don’t call me that.”

I look at the clock above my desk and see that it was nearing five o’clock. Four-fifty, to be exact. I walk past Simon and usher him out the door. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.” When we walk out, almost everyone’s dorms were open, and a few had people waiting outside of them. Most notable was Layla, leaning against the doorway of Hanako’s room. I watched as she nodded her head a few times before bursting into laughter, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. 

“Oh my god, that is amazing! Did he like, break it?” Layla backs up a couple of feet as Hanako emerges from the doorway. 

“Thankfully, no. He just yelled at me then stormed out with it. I’m lucky I always have backup bows, otherwise, I would have been toast, but it was still quite entertaining!” 

“Alright, everybody. First off, I can assume everyone is here?”

I scan the crowd and quickly count those who had been sitting on the tables and couches, as well as those who were just stepping out of their dorms. After counting fifteen of us, I nod to Nakai.

“Good. Now, I’m sure everyone is ready for bed, and I certainly am as well, after the events of today, so I’ll tend to keep this meeting short. I assume most of you have focused on exploring your dorm rooms, so I’m not expecting anyone to testify to the affirmative of this question, but has anyone gone around the rest of the school yet?”

From the corner of my eye, I watch Scarlet straighten in her seat.

“I have.”


	4. Foxgloves, Yellow Carnations, and Cypress (Pt. 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone! I apologize for the super late upload, but procrastination, holidays, and immense amounts of school work don't mix very well. Before we start, I want to mention that this chapter contains a brief mention of child abuse, so skip the fairly large paragraph after Nakai catches up with Kojika if that is something you want to avoid!

Nakai perks up. “Really? What did you find?”

Scarlet clears up and lifts a hand to cup her chin and her lips twitch up into a sly smile. “Well, I wasn’t able to find much because of the little time I was given. Of the areas I explored, I discovered most rooms were just rooms of necessity, like a laundry room, kitchen and cafeteria, a storage room, and a trash room. All of the other rooms were classrooms. Perhaps the same ones we woke up in.”

“Oh, that’s good!” Lanna smiled. “I was sort of scared there would be like, a murder dungeon or something!”

“We can’t rule out the possibility just yet...As much as I don’t like to think about it.” Kojika suggests. “I think we should all explore tomorrow, in groups, preferably.” 

“I agree,” Adam announces, pulling out a chair and plopping down beside Aina. Had he been standing before? “So we really can’t get out of here? Have any of us actually tried the doors?”

“I-I don’t think so. To the d-door thing, I mean.” Hanako mutters. “But I w-wouldn’t m-mess with that b-bear. He c-could probably kill us all on h-his own!” 

“I don’t give a fuck about some stuffed animal. Sure, he may have trapped us here, but what’s he  _ really  _ gonna do? Tug at our pant legs? Tie our shoelaces together?” I can’t help but let a laugh bubble up in my throat at the image Adam describes, despite the frustrated look on his face. 

“We can deal with the doors tomorrow, Adam. But I agree with Hanako, we shouldn’t mess with Monokuma. We have to remember that he holds  _ all _ of our lives in his hands. If not by killing, he could off us all by cutting off our food supply or stopping the water.” Simon declares, his face stern. At first glance, he looks like an unbeatable steel wall, but Simon is squeezing the fabric of his trenchcoat, giving away his true thoughts about the subject.

Miku huffs. “Can we go to bed already? I’d like to be at least a  _ little  _ rested before we all die!”

“M-Miku!” Rosie gulps. 

“What?” He replies, barely stifling a yawn. 

“I-” Rosie starts, but she deflates as she realizes that she doesn’t know how to explain her thoughts to him. His words hung heavy in my chest, eating away at my insides.

_ We’re all going to die. _

I’m _ going to die! _

“Y-yeah, let’s just go to bed.” I stammer. 

Miku is the first to rise, followed by Aina, Luminous, and Lanna. Although I would typically stay and make sure everyone made it to bed, I couldn’t help but quickly stumble to my own room. I feel the blankets piled upon my bed wrinkle under my back as I fall backward and kick off my shoes. Just as I bring my legs to my chest and sit up a few minutes later, Simon strides into my room shed of his trenchcoat and jeans, instead wearing a loose t-shirt and black sweatpants. 

“We’re getting out of here, Ollie. None of us are dying on my watch.” He says, sitting down next to me and placing his hand over mine. I look up from his hand to his face, and his diamond eyes are soft, reassuring in the way only he can be. I nod. What  _ could _ I respond with?

He scooches back and lays down, crossing his arms behind his head to cushion himself despite the pillows beneath him. “I’m not falling asleep till you do, dork.” He laughs, attempting to lighten the mood. 

I lay down beside him and smile, “yeah right, you bum. You’ll fall asleep in five minutes, tops.”

“Ah, you got me.” 

“...G’night, Sy.”

“Night, Ollie.” 

* * *

_ Ding Dong, Bing Bong _

The ringing of church bells woke me up the next morning, followed by the monitor above my desk clicking to life to show a video of Monokuma.

The bear in question was seated in what looked to be a library, in front of a bookshelf carrying various books on gardening, dancing, and bird care. “Good morning, students~! It is now 8 a.m, officially morning time! Time to wake up and smell the flowers!” The monitor quickly shuts off, dropping me back into the dim lights of my room. 

I turn to look at my brother, finding him still asleep. I sigh and shake him gently until his eyes crack open. He groans and rubs his eyes before sitting up, letting a long exhale pass through his lips. 

“Morning, sleepyhead.” I smile. “Breakfast time!”

Simon’s voice is low and gravelly from sleep as he speaks, “mm, yeah, yeah. Give me a sec’.”

The lobby is empty when I open the door. Despite the bright pink lighting and decor, the room filled me with a faint sense of dread for the upcoming weeks. I push it down and walk forward, softly clicking the door shut behind us. We made our way to the cafeteria, which surprisingly, wasn’t too hard to find. Probably because of the large sign beside the wooden doors that declared ‘Cafeteria’. 

As Simon and I entered the cafeteria, the smell of chocolate and batter invaded our senses.

“F-finally you two got here! We were starting to get worried.” Hanako stutters. She was seated at the main table, a long oval thing that ran almost the length of the room. To her right was Miku and Layla with Lanna, Aina, and Adam seated to her left, the latter of whom was sleeping, using his crossed arms as a makeshift pillow. All of our other classmates - including Kojika and Nakai - were spread about at the other, smaller, tables.

“Yep, don’t worry about us!” I smile.

“Someone making waffles or something?” Simon yawns, trudging over to the table to sit straight in front of Miku and kick his feet onto the table. 

“Ivy’s making pancakes, actually.” Lanna asserts. “I honestly couldn’t imagine she would want anything to do with us, but...here we are!” I nod in agreement and pull out a chair besides Simon. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Nakai notice our entrance and usher Kojika next to us. The two sit on the other side of Simon, who looked ready to go back to sleep. 

Nakai pinches Simon’s forearm, making him yelp and jerk away. “I’m awake, I’m awake…” He grumbles.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Kojika laughs.

Before Simon could defend himself, Ivy slunk out of the kitchen, three plates loaded with pancakes in her hands. Closely behind her was Luminous, carrying whipped cream, two bottles of syrup, a bag of chocolate chips, and a small container of sprinkles.

“Oh wow,” Aina breathes. “I didn’t realize there would be any more than your typical, gross school food.”

Luminous grins and drops everything haphazardly onto the table. “I know! It’s great, right?” Aina nods happily and begins loading the plate in front of her.

Breakfast passed without problem, with only the sound of silverware against plates and failed attempts at small talk interrupting the silence. Although I wanted to linger in the silent comfort of the moment, as soon as Kojika saw their siblings were done they hastily grabbed and cleaned our plates then dragged all of us out into the hallway. “It’s time to explore,” they declared, whipping out a notepad and pencil. They then turned on their heels and walked down the hallway in front of us, forcing us to follow.

“I figure we’ll need to sketch out the layout of the floor for any future trials-”

“Which we  _ hope  _ won’t happen,” Nakai interrupts.

Kojika nods. “Of course, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.” 

Nakai walked ahead to catch up to her detective partner, continuing to speculate on what materials they might need to prepare.

As we walk, I can’t help but ruminate on our situation. Until Simon and I were 8, we were imprisoned within our own home, with parents who did not love us. Throughout those years, we were either neglected or hit, blamed for the problems our parents faced like sick clockwork. Eventually, we ran, ran to anybody who would take us in, and that ended up being Kojika and Nakai’s mother. Unfortunately, this ‘killing game’ seemed to be almost identical to our past trauma, and I will admit, I was afraid of what those parallels would do to us. 

Nakai’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “Ollie, are you okay?”

I startle despite her soft demeanor and quickly nod. “Y-yeah, just thinking.”

She hums softly in response. She undoubtedly knew what had engrossed me, but could probably tell I wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.  “You can talk to me if you need, Oliver. I’ll always make time to be here for you.”

“I know.”

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of our dorms, bathed in the dim yellow lighting. 

“Ok, let’s go over what we found.” Kojika states. “Straight down from here, there’s all of our dorms, the storage room and the laundry room adjacent to two bathrooms, then a large circular lobby that leads to four different, empty classrooms on the left and the cafeteria on the right. Down the hallway to the right is the trash room, which contains a garbage chute and an incinerator, next to the hallway that leads to the gym. Then the next hallway to the right from the trash room leads to a large garden on the left and the main hall on the right, both behind large wooden doors. Does that sound correct?”

We all nod.

“Great!” Kojika beams, then starts scribbling the floor plans onto the first page of their notepad. Once they’re done, they look back up to us expectantly. “Well, what do we do now?”

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo boy! I am so excited to get started on this story! I will try to keep myself on some sort of schedule, with approximately a month between updates, but how much I work on it depends on how much schoolwork I have. I do have it all outlined though, so it shouldn't be too long between updates.
> 
> Kudos, comments, and constructive criticism are appreciated! Anyways, I hope you guys stick around to the end, and I'll see you next chapter!


End file.
